defund

verb

de·​fund (ˌ)dē-ˈfənd 

defunded; defunding; defunds

transitive verb

: to withdraw funding from

Examples of defund in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lawmakers threatened to defund the state archive in response. — Charlotte Observer, 19 Sep. 2026

Zahnd and Sheriff Holland criticized the move as an effort to defund local law enforcement and prosecutors. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026

Smiley has tried to draw stark contrast from his opponent, alleging Morales wants to defund the police. — Sophia Vlahakis, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

But in practice, Washington is preparing to defund the humanities and liberal arts at the exact moment the people building artificial intelligence are telling us those fields matter more than ever. — Dr. Alan Kadish, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for defund

• fecund
• refund
• rotund
• secund
• and
• bund
• fund
• gunned
• hund
• mund
• shunned
• stunned